HR0635 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0635 LRB103 39724 ECR 70174 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives wish to recognize the 150th anniversary of Joseph F. Glidden filing his patent for barbed wire; and

WHEREAS, Farmer Joseph Glidden, along with hardware merchant Isaac Ellwood and carpenter Jacob Haish, crafted the idea for a barbed wire fence upon witnessing a fence board with projecting barb points at an agricultural fair in September 1873; and

WHEREAS, Joseph Glidden and his wife, Lucinda, experimented at the Glidden Homestead using a modified coffee mill and a grindstone to create the first practical strand of barbed wire; and

WHEREAS, At the age of 61, Joseph Glidden traveled to Chicago to file a patent for his new invention on November 24, 1874; and

WHEREAS, Joseph Glidden and Isaac Ellwood built the world's first barbed wire factory in 1875; and

WHEREAS, Barbed wire played a significant role in settling the American West, where it became popular due to its durability and affordability; and

WHEREAS, In 1895, Joseph Glidden, Isaac Ellwood, and Jacob Haish, along with journalist Clinton Rosette, founded what is now Northern Illinois University with part of the land where the idea for barbed wire originated; and

WHEREAS, By the time of Joseph Glidden's death, Isaac Ellwood estimated that their factory had produced enough barbed wire to circle the earth 17 times, earning DeKalb the nickname of "The Barb City" to this day; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we recognize the 150th anniversary of Joseph F. Glidden filing his patent for barbed wire; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the Joseph F. Glidden Homestead and Historical Center as an expression of our esteem and respect.